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Celebrity Couples With Staying Power

Anyone who reads celebrity gossip magazines knows how precarious relationships can be in Hollywood and other realms of the rich and famous. Another week, another split, another cover story. However, not all celebrity couples are destined to break up. In fact, quite a number of A-list stars revel in having a happy marriage to their longtime partner. The 10 couples that follow are among the most famous household names.

Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman

These two movie stars first met in 1953 while performing in the Broadway play Picnic, but it wasn’t until they starred in the film The Long Hot Summer that they began a relationship and fell in love. They married on Jan. 29, 1958 in Las Vegas and had three daughters together (Newman already had a son and two daughters with first wife Jacqueline Witte). The happy marriage for this celebrity couple lasted for 50 years, until Newman’s death in 2008.

Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan

Like many celebrity couples, actor Michael J. Fox and actress Tracy Pollan first starred together (in the popular TV sitcom Family Ties) before getting married in 1988 and having four children. Fox was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s disease in 1991 and went public with the news in 1998. He launched the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research in 2000 to raise money for research funding and awareness of the disease. His efforts have actually been helped by positive coverage in celebrity gossip magazines.

Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith

Jada Pinkett and Will Smith first met in 1990 when she auditioned to play Smith’s girlfriend on his sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. She didn’t get the part, but over time their relationship blossomed. Their lavish wedding at the Cloisters near Baltimore was the subject of celebrity gossip. Their happy marriage has resulted in two children (Smith also has a son from a previous marriage).

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos

Actress and co-host of TV’s morning show Live with Regis and Kelly, Kelly Ripa and her husband actor Mark Consuelos are another example of celebrity couples in a happy marriage. Maybe location makes a difference for celebrity couples — rather than living in Hollywood, they reside in New York City where Live is produced. The duo first met on the set of the soap opera All My Children and have three children: Michael, Lola, and Joaquin.

Iman and David Bowie

Rock stars and models seem to be a common relationship combination, yet Iman and Bowie are arguably the most famous of such celebrity couples. The Somalian supermodel turned cosmetics mogul and the English rock musician wed in 1992. According to the BBC News, Iman has a tattoo of a Bowie knife on her ankle in honor of her husband. They have a daughter, Alexandria Zahra, born in 2000.

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson

Most of us know actor Tom Hanks from his blockbuster movies, ranging from comedies such as Big and Forrest Gump to dramas including The DaVinci Code and Saving Private Ryan. Ironically, it was during the filming of one of his lesser-known films, Volunteers that he started a relationship with co-star Rita Wilson. Their happy marriage began in 1985 and they have two children (Hanks also has two children from a previous marriage).

Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman

Danny DeVito is best known for his role on the TV show Taxi and in movies such as Batman Returns and Get Shorty. He’s also directed many films, including The War of the Roses about a destructive relationship in the divorce process. However, in his private life, DeVito has been in a happy marriage since 1982 to actress Rhea Perlman, one of the stars of the hit TV show Cheers. This celebrity couple has three children.

Denzel Washington and Paulette Pearson Washington

Like many other celebrity couples, Denzel Washington and his wife Pauletta Pearson met on the job. In their case, work was filming the TV movie Wilma in 1977, about the legendary African-American athlete Wilma Rudolph. The relationship culminated with a wedding on June 25, 1983, and their family includes four children. Washington has starred in a variety of notable films over his impressive career, including American Gangster, Malcolm X, and the recent The Book of Eli.

Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick

Generally avoiding celebrity gossip, actor Kevin Bacon has been married to actress Kyra Sedgwick since 1988, and they have two children. Like many celebrity couples, the pair finds a happy balance between their work and private lives. Bacon has been in a wide range of films including Footloose, Apollo 13, JFK, and Murder in the First. Sedgwick stars in TNT’s long-running TV drama, The Closer.

Faith Hill and Tim McGraw

Singer Faith Hill has won a variety of awards, including five Grammys, and sold more than 30 million records worldwide. Her husband, singer Tim McGraw, has had more than 30 No. 1 singles and sold more than 40 million albums. These country music superstars are another example of a celebrity couple with a strong relationship and a happy marriage — they have been married since 1996 and have three children.